September 2012 Liahona - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

is the final or crowning step in the process of repentance.
The renunciation of sin, coupled with our covenant of
obedience, completes our repentance; indeed, repentance
remains unfinished without that covenant. With it we
qualify for a remission of sins by the grace of Jesus Christ
through the baptism of the Spirit (see 2 Nephi 31:17).
Further, the baptismal covenant applies prospectively
as well as retrospectively: each time we truly repent, that
covenant is reinvigorated and we once again qualify for
a remission of sins.
What do these ordinances and their related covenants
have to do with building faith? Faith in Christ is an essential
prerequisite to entering into divine covenants, but covenants
also add to one’s faith in a way that cannot otherwise
be attained. By covenant, the great God of heaven permits
Himself to be bound to each of us individually (see D&C
82:10). So long as we abide by our covenants with Him, He
is obligated to grant us a place in His kingdom and, with
the higher covenants, exaltation within that kingdom. He is
a God who has all power and who cannot lie. Thus, we can
have unbounded faith that He will fulfill His pledges to us.
By our covenants with God, we can enjoy a faith in Christ
strong enough to see us through any challenge or trial,
knowing that in the end our salvation is assured.
Faith Can Increase
What I have said about building faith in Christ among
those taught by missionaries applies to all of us. Our faith
in Christ is born of the Spirit as we hear the word of God
taught by those who are His commissioned servants, both
living and dead. As we build upon that foundation, our faith
is strengthened by prayers of faith that have become a part
of our daily life—and sometimes a part of our hourly life.
Continuing to feast upon the words of Christ in the
Book of Mormon and other scripture adds to and deepens
the faith that had its origins in the word. Repentance
rooted in faith further nourishes our faith as obedience
is perfected. Repentance invigorates our own baptism
of water and of the Spirit to produce a remission of sins
committed not only before baptism but also after baptism.
Christlike service to our neighbor is a critical part of the
covenant keeping that nurtures faith in Christ. Over time
we find that the blessings promised for obedience to God
are in fact realized in our lives and that our faith is confirmed
and strengthened.
Faith Is Also a Principle of Power
What I have been describing up to this point is a level
of faith that consists of spiritual assurances and that produces
good works, most especially obedience to the
principles and commandments of the gospel. This is a true
faith in Christ and the level at which our teaching of investigators
should be focused.
There is, however, a level of faith that not only governs
our behavior but also empowers us to change what is and
to make things happen that otherwise would not happen.
I am speaking of faith not only as a principle of action
but also as a principle of power. Paul stated that this was
the faith by which prophets “subdued kingdoms, wrought
righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of
lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of
the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant
in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens, [and]
women received their dead raised to life again” (Hebrews
11:33–35). These are grand things—but in a way no
greater than conquering a powerful addiction or other
comparable obstacle to conversion and baptism.
Key to our obtaining power through faith is learning,
asking, and acting according to the will of God. “Christ
hath said: If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power
to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me” (Moroni 7:33).
He cautions, however, “If ye ask anything that is not
expedient for you, it shall turn unto your condemnation”
(D&C 88:65).
Your own faith in Christ will grow wonderfully as you
seek day by day to know and to do the will of God. Faith,
already a principle of action in you, will then become also
a principle of power. ◼
From an address given at a seminar for new mission presidents in Provo,
Utah, on June 23, 2011.
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